Uwic and Newport's merger talks collapse.

Focuses on the failure of the merger plans of University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) with University of Wales Newport (UWN) in Wales. Refusal of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) for a UWIC-UWN merger due to the failure to set-up a tripartite planning group; Claim of the HEFCW that higher education in the region is facing decline unless a merger or partnership is finalized; Efforts of the lecturers' union to seek meetings with governors of all three institutions in a bid to keep merger hopes alive.